TEPCO ex-chair at time of Fukushima nuclear disaster dies at 84 while on trial over responsibility

TOKYO -- Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings' erstwhile chairperson, who led nan emergency consequence aft a meltdown astatine its Fukushima Daiichi atomic plant and was accused of being responsible for failing to forestall nan disaster arsenic apical management, has died, pinch his tests still pending. He was 84.

Tsunehisa Katsumata died connected Oct. 21, TEPCO said Thursday, without providing further specifications including nan origin of his death.

Katsumata was TEPCO chair erstwhile Fukushima Daiichi was deed by a magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami successful March 2011 and suffered triple meltdowns. He led nan emergency consequence aft nan company's then-president stepped down owed to wellness problems and served until mid-2012.

He later became 1 of nan defendants successful high-profile criminal and civilian lawsuits seeking TEPCO management's work complete their alleged nonaccomplishment to expect nan monolithic quake and tsunami and to return preventive measures.

Nearly 6,000 Fukushima residents successful 2012 revenge nan criminal complaint, accusing respective erstwhile TEPCO executives, including Katsumata, of master negligence successful nan decease of much than 40 aged patients during aliases aft forced evacuations successful nan aftermath of nan meltdown, which released ample amounts of radiation to nan surroundings.

After prosecutors dropped nan case, Katsumata and 2 different erstwhile executives were indicted successful 2016 by a citizens' inquest of prosecution and forced to guidelines proceedings successful nan only criminal lawsuit related to nan Fukushima disaster.

Katsumata and 2 co-defendants pleaded not guilty, saying predicting nan tsunami was impossible, and were acquitted successful nan territory and precocious tribunal rulings. The lawsuit is now pending astatine nan Supreme Court.

Katsumata besides faced a civilian proceedings revenge by a group of TEPCO shareholders and was ordered by nan Tokyo District Court successful 2022 to salary damages exceeding 13 trillion yen ($85 trillion) pinch 3 different erstwhile executives. The lawsuit is pending astatine Tokyo High Court.

Katsumata, who was president of TEPCO from 2002 to 2008, was besides successful complaint of harm power and pushing firm governance pursuing nan utility's earlier information coverup scandal. He joined TEPCO successful 1963.

As caput of nan powerful utility, Katsumata besides served cardinal posts successful business organizations, specified arsenic Keidanren, and had awesome power complete Japanese authorities and industry.

Today, much than 13 years aft nan accident, Fukushima Daiichi is being decommissioned — a decades-long process that is still astatine an early stage.

In caller months, TEPCO has struggled to get a first mini magnitude of melted substance debris from 1 of nan 3 damaged reactors utilizing a remote-controlled robo t. If successful, nan sample's return would beryllium a milestone that could lend to further investigation into analyzing nan melted substance and processing basal exertion to region nan 880 tons of melted substance debris that stay wrong nan 3 reactors.